Ratatouille with Panelle (garbanzo flour polenta)

If you have a summer garden and you have the space for it you might end up finding yourself with all the necessary ingredients for ratatouille. If you have never of heard of the dish but have heard of the movie than your already one step closer to the recipe. Ratatouille is basically a stewed vegetable usually consisted of eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and squash varieties. Obviously this could be altered but that is everything I have in our garden right now so it makes perfect since for the cook who decided to cook it all together. I decided to add the sicilian garbanzo panelle cake as an added touch of texture and flavor. This is a fantastic Mediterranean recipe that is not only vegetarian but delicious! Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe ingredients

Ratatouille

1 1/2 cup of medium diced eggplant (1 large or 2 small )

1 cup of small diced onion (1/2 onion)

1 green bell pepper medium diced

1 yellow large zucchini small diced

1 yellow bell pepper medium diced

6 small tomatoes ( 3/4 cup diced the rest pureed)

3 cloves of garlic minced

pinch of chili flakes

1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil

5 tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper

Panelle

3 cups of water (or stock if you have it)

1 1/2 cup of garbanzo flour

1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Recipe Instructions

For the ratatouille,

In medium large saucepan add olive oil, onions, and eggplant. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and chile flakes and cook for another 2 minutes. Take a little over half of your tomatoes and puree them. Pour the puree into the pot with the vegetables. Add another pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the peppers, squash , along with another healthy pinch of salt. Cover the pot and cook for 12 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the chopped basil and season everything with salt and pepper. All the vegetables should be tender at this point. If not you can cook for another few minutes. Turn to low or keep warm while you make the panelle.

How to make panelle (garbanzo polenta )

In a medium pot add water and a tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and then while stirring vigorously add garbanzo flour and continue to stirring until all is incorporated and smooth. Cook for 20 minutes until the flour has been completely cooked (if you still have lumps in your polenta then use a hand stick blender and puree the polenta to get rid of any lumps).. Add parmesan cheese and stir until well combined. Adjust seasoning if need be. You have two options here, first serve the polenta hot as is like porridge. Or pour the polenta into a square or round baking dish or sheet pan or something similar. Then with a spatula smooth the polenta evenly and distribute evenly. One trick is to place a piece of plastic wrap over the top and use your hands to help distribute the panelle evenly. Place in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then taking a round cookie cutter cut out rounds of the panelle. In a medium hot pan add 3 tbsp of olive oil and 3-4 pieces of panelle. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until it is lightly browned and has a bit of a crust. Flip it over and do the same on the other side.

To finish,

Using a large ring mold place the ratatouille inside the mold. Then place the panelle on top. Grate a little fresh parmesan and fish with olive oil and basil leaves. Serve and enjoy!